Dope factory in suburbia (From Your Local Guardian)

Dope factory in suburbia

8:41am Sunday 11th March 2007 in

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A semi-detached house in suburban Worcester Park was found to be a cannabis factory after an energy company became suspicious about the amount of electricity being used.

All four bedrooms and the living room of a property in Cuddington Avenue were being used to cultivate the drug and there were 174 plants inside.

Officers from Surrey Police did not find anyone at home when they raided the premises on February 2.

They subsequently discovered that the owner, who is thought to have had no knowledge of what was happening in his home, lived in America and rented it out through an agency.

The officer in charge of the investigation, Detective Constable Ian Moody, said: "This is a complex investigation but we have some particularly positive lines of enquiry and are working hard using all the investigative techniques open to us.

"The neighbours had suspicions about illegal activity taking place at the property but did not report these to us. We would always encourage any resident of Surrey who is suspicious or has information about criminal activity, or what they believe to be criminal activity, to come forward. If necessary they can call Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555 111."

Along with the plants, which have now been destroyed, police also found paraphernalia associated with growing cannabis including lighting, ventilation and plastic sheeting.

The electricity supply to the property had been adapted with extra sockets added to power the lights needed to grow the plants.

As part of the investigation, police spoke to neighbours and seized paperwork and forensic evidence for analysis.

A spokesman for Surrey Police added: "Obviously officers have spoken to the letting agent and investigations are ongoing. In these instances it's actually quite difficult to track people back because of the use of aliases."